Predictions regarding the popularity and expected growth of mobile gambling have been pretty spot-on. Even though this boom got started a little later than predicted, this was only because the ideas and innovation were ready before the technology was. Now ideas and innovation are totally tying in with technology, and as once was expected this is going to be the next big internet gambling wave of growth. Websites offering mobile gaming options are already showing proof of this, with leaps in profit margins in some instances of 300% and more.

The big prediction is that the mobile gambling channel with be a $100 Billion Market by the year 2017. Why should we believe any different when the evidence is all there. Every time we turn on the television there is an advert for gambling online, and now for the mobile version of these games too. Not only that, we see it spread across gigantic billboards, see it in newspapers (if we read these), and also in magazines. Mobile gambling is here, and it appears it is here to stay.

It really is of no surprise that this business is predicted to top $100 billion within the short space of just five years. But what is kit exactly that makes this form of gambling so appealing to so many people? Basically any savvy casino should offer the capability of mobile real money gambling to their customers – why? Because virtually everyone, throughout all income groups, social sectors, and demographic has access to a mobile phone!

Even granny and grandpa are on mobile today. We all take our mobiles wherever we go, and check them all the time. We take them to the bathroom, to work, to restaurants, into meetings, check them in bed, and the big thing is that we don’t just use them to check up on granny and grandpa, we use them to entertain us.

It has been speculated that nearly half of the mobile phone users for example in the UK – make use of a smartphone. The people who own them might not be that smart, but the phones definitely are. They can be used to connect to the internet, access Facebook, Google stuff, and people, are getting smarter, they are using their mobile devices to connect to the internet more regularly. This function was available, but ignored just a few years ago.

The big appeal for mobile gambling or any kind of gambling at all, is that people can win prizes. Imagine getting involved in a game or two when on the commute home from work, and winning a prize? Well, people are doing it all of the time! Who doesn’t like winning prizes – especially if it is money? And who hates having nothing to do on the commute from work home?
Yes, today you don’t have to get home, get dressed and then commute again to the bright lights of the casino. Mobile gambling has done this for us, it is safe, easy, convenient and a rewarding way for many to end their day with a little light entertainment.

The regulatory auditing and testing agency eCOGRA has been selected by leading Stoke-on-Trent based online gambling group bet365 to serve as its "third party regulatory testing and certification partner".

Companies are increasingly recognising the value of partnerships that will oversee and conduct independent specialist audit and testing procedures to streamline the often complicated and varying matrix of national regulatory requirements in newly legislated, as well as existing, markets in Europe.

Bet365, as one of the world’s largest online gambling groups, identified the need to appoint a strategic partner that would provide it with quality and cost-effective compliance and audit services ensuring each aspect of its business is in sync with the myriad of legislative requirements adopted by the various markets it operates in or intends to enter.

eCOGRA’s 17025:2005 testing laboratory accreditation by the United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS) and extensive mix of professional Big 4 audit firm, IT and industry experience, ideally places the firm to perform compliance and audit services across the diverse spread of regulation and testing principles and methodologies being adopted throughout Europe.

Andrew Beveridge, the chief executive of eCOGRA, welcomed the appointment saying: "eCOGRA specialises in providing services to tier 1 software suppliers and operators, and bet365 certainly meets this requirement. eCOGRA looks forward to assisting bet365 with future certification endeavours while ensuring the group remains compliant in the markets in which it currently operates."

Steven Degg, regulatory compliance and information officer of bet365 commenting on the appointment said: "bet365 selected eCOGRA based on the depth of skills, experience of their resources and a successful track record in providing compliance services to other leading operators and software suppliers. Bet365 successfully submitted challenging Spanish and Danish certifications in partnership with eCOGRA, and look forward to working with eCOGRA as we expand into new markets going forward."

About eCOGRA

Founded in 2003 to set and improve operational standards and player safety in the online gambling space, eCOGRA has amassed a wealth of experience in implementing international best practice standards and requirements and ensuring these are maintained through regular review and monitoring.

Over 200 of the most established and successful internet gambling websites are accredited and policed by the independent, London-based company, which is staffed by professional auditors with Big 4 auditing firm experience, information system experts and responsible gambling specialists.

The company is an accredited testing agency with several jurisdictions, and has been awarded the United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS) ISO approval ISO/IEC 17025:2005 : General Requirements for the competence of testing and calibration laboratories. This accreditation is one of the quality assurance requirements for approval as a testing agency in various European remote gambling licensing jurisdictions.

About bet365

Bet365 is a world leading eGaming company and a driving force in the development of Enterprise and Internet technology. Established in 2000 from a portakabin in Stoke-on-Trent, bet365 has grown into a global operation that employs over 2,000 people, is live in 17 languages and delivers an unrivalled online experience to over 9 million customers worldwide.

Giving its development teams the freedom to innovate is key to bet365’s success. The company has worked hard to cultivate a culture of innovation where good ideas and a techno-entrepreneurial attitude are encouraged and rewarded. Today bet365 continues to push technological boundaries and break new ground in software innovation.

Nothing in moderation is actually bad for anyone, but human nature being what it is can certainly play tricks on us. Addiction happens to be one of the nasty tricks that human nature plays. It is not the end of the world, and no-one is alone in this, and it is for this very important reason that all responsible UK online gambling site offer links to GambleAware, GameCare and so on.

While online gambling operators are in this industry to make a living, this does not mean to say that they wish to do this at the expense of humanity. These operators provide a service for people who what this service, people will ALWAYS gamble and always have; this is also an intrinsic part of human nature, just like many forms of entertainment are. In most parts of the world, gambling is entrenched in the culture, much like bingo is as British as bangers and mash.

Speaking of bingo in the context of this subject, one little story we recently read, brings home what we mean when we say that gambling is not the problem, people are the problem. We have to be adults to play bingo online, so, we should behave like responsible adults would and not be daft about it. One pensioner from North Shields took things a little too far and received the shock of her life. Fortunately she got a fright and realised things had to change.

This pensioner, turned jackpot chaser, instead of just having fun playing a few games and then packing it in, actually turned to fraud and to loan sharks to manage (if you could call this "manage") her gambling debt.

She says she became hooked on playing bingo and gambling online after losing her job – supposedly she had too much time on her hands – or this is what she told the courts. Is it true what they say – "idle hands do the Devils work"?

The sixty-three year old enjoyed some moderate success, and spurred on by this, instead of simply enjoying her good luck, allowed things to rage out- of- control. After turning to loan sharks who threatened her to recover their debt, she actually committed fraud by selling an investment property before filing for bankruptcy. The bankruptcy trustees picked up the sale and the £35 000 profit she made; this was where the police were called in. You can’t make £35K and thereafter file for bankruptcy.

Yes, she was threatened by the loan sharks to return their money, and had to pay stupid amounts of interest, which just goes to show that her stupidity was quite simply two-fold.
Living life in the hope of catching a big jackpot is not what online gambling is about. It is about having a bit of fun, within a players means, and if Lady Luck is on your side and you win. Thank the fates. If not, pack it in and don’t get out of control.

Things are changing rapidly in Asia, in particular in the economic sector. This is no longer one of the poor Global territories, and there is a rising middle class, which means various economic sectors are operating in over-drive. For example – the manufacturing industry in China – is there anything new you have purchased recently that has not been manufactured in China. In response to this, the new middle class Asian resident also demands their fair share of recreation. One of the most popular forms of recreation is gambling.

Therefore, not only the online gambling industry is experiencing a boom. The live gambling industry, in particular in Asia, is booming. Macau offers us a dynamically clear picture of just how rapid economic growth has been. This part of the world has benefitted hugely from the gambling industry, but they are also now taking a closer look at the social impact of gambling as an industry. While there is no gambling per se on Mainland China. Millions of Chinese tourist, save up every penny they can to spend in Macau taking a gamble.

After Macau was monopolised by the Chinese for a period of time (four decades), it has now been opened up to the rest of the world to develop this booming business, although there are moratoriums on certain pieces of property. Manila Bay, Macau, is the home to reclaimed land. Yes, they have re-claimed land from the sea to create a home for a $4 billion casino-resort. This will soon rise like the lost land of Atlantis, funded by foreign investors. US companies such as Las Vegas Sands, MGM, and Wynn Resorts have also flocked to this former Portuguese colony.

Foreign investors in the gambling business, are also currently breaking ground in South Korea. There are plans afoot here to hatch a whole clutch of casino-type resorts. Then on the Eastern edge of Russia, a casino resort area has also been planned to provide a catchment for Chinese gambling high-rollers. And when we talk about Chinese high-rollers, we refer to nose-bleed spenders.
Up-scale, glitzy, Las Vegas styled resorts are the name of the game for casino developments catering to the needs of Asian tourists. As they increasingly become more affluent, so to, do their needs change. Gambling is the order of the day, but then so too is a stay in an up-market resort.

Most areas are working on emulating the Macau business principle; understandably so. For every $1 spent in Las Vegas today, $4 is spent in Macau. This makes it the largest casino game marketplace in the world. However, Singapore is catching up rapidly, and a year after the first casinos had opened, they had already raked in about $6 billion.

We all know there is massive amounts of money to be made in the gambling business if it is done in the right way. The Asian market it seems, is doing it in the right way, and Beijing seems to be happy to allow its wealthy togamble their fortunes away.

There has plenty of interest been happening again in the world of the online gambling industry. First off, after reading that a Full Tilt\PokerStars deal was complete speculation and was not going to happen; rumour is rife again in the news that PokerStars is going to pull the beleaguered brand out of the dung-heap they have found themselves in. It seems that for Full Tilt Poker; they are still deep in the you know what, but it’s only the depth that varies. I think we need to stop speculating and let’s wait to see what happens in real time. Only when PokerStars confirms that the rumours are true, will we be prepared to believe it. In recent reports from Gaming Intelligence, this deal is now for real.

More rumours were rife last year over whether Zynga poker were going to monetize their poker game, and get into gambling online. This seems to have now been confirmed and Mark Pincus says they will foray into real-money gambling online in 2013. As CEO of this billion dollar company, he has recently also lost Billionaire status when the stocks of Zynga took a nose-dive and dropped 40% in value. It looks like he is going to have to do something drastic to get share prices up again. Interestingly enough, purely online gambling concerns are looking at getting into social gambling now too.

Brent Buckley from Absolute poker was in the news again. He is part of the “Black Friday Eleven” who were indicted for conspiring to commit bank and wire fraud. Buckley is the former payment processor for Absolute Poker. Sentence was passed for fourteen months in prison, but then he did admit guilt in December. Ira Rubin got a three year sentence and was labelled a “con man and fraudster.” Rubin was also accused of illegally processing payments for Absolute Poker, PokerStars and FullTilt.

There has been some good news in online gambling too, as a couple of Playtech jackpots were landed. One – the ‘Holy Grail Jackpot’ from the Spamalot slot which is based on the Monty Python series. This lucky winner landed a mahoosive £692,209.05 prize. The other big winner was playing the Iron Man video slot and landed an impressive £558,306.01. Playtech is understandably proud to have been able to deliver these wins.

Look out for some great Olympic-themed promotions now that the summer games have started, and we are not only referring to sports-betting online. Online Bingo clubs are gamely going along with the flow, and British-based bingo sites are the place to look out for these offers.

We checked out William Hill where the Olympics aren’t really mentioned, but they are celebrating Glorious Goodwood, and we also checked out Costa Bingo where they are running a Track and Field event. Wink, Posh, Red Bus, Bingo Street, 88 Ladies and Tasty Bingo have a £10K Bingo for Gold event running as well as a £10K free summer Joy Pot, so, if you get tired of watching equestrian events, gymnastics, football and swimming, you can always get active too and play online bingo.